Staying Safe this Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner and you know what that means: candy, costumes and surprises galore! We’ve already discussed Halloween and culture appropriation, so let’s now focus on something different: safety. Though we all love Halloween and associate it with the innocent act of collecting candy, the truth of the matter is it can be a scary holiday…quite literally. I wanted to give my personal tips on staying safe this Halloween, for both children and adults.

Don’t eat unwrapped candy.

Whenever I hear this rule now, I always think of the Halloween episode of Freaks and Geeks. Ya know, when Mrs. Weir bakes a bunch of fresh cookies for the trick-or-treaters and she pretty much gets shunned. Though it was a sad moment for Mrs. Weir, this is an important rule, especially if you have kids. Only accept unwrapped candy or treats from people who you know you can trust, such as family members or close friends. This rule also applies to party drinks. Don’t let your cup–or candy–out of sight.

Walk in well-lit areas.

This is another “duh” rule, but you need to make sure you’re walking in parts of the neighborhood that has lights and, preferably, a decently heavy population of people that are out and about. This will decrease your chance of possibly being abducted–or run over by a car.

Wear a reflection device.

Speaking of cars, reflection devices are super helpful at not being hit by one. They’re kinda silly (I know), but they make super cool ones just for Halloween that have bat, cat and pumpkin symbols on them! If you don’t want to wear one, at least put one on your child. Kids are short, so drivers are less likely to see them.

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Have a flashlight.

Something that could double as a reflection device would be a flashlight, AKA your iPhone.

Keep pepper spray on you.

Have some kind of defense device within reach. I’m not telling you to bring your gun (especially if you’re around kids or alcohol), so pepper spray should help. Just in case.

Carry your ID, cell phone, keys, etc.

This is so important!! If something were to happen to you (God forbid), at least you’d have your ID on you so officials could immediately tell who you are in order to inform your family. Make sure you have your children’s IDs and, for the smaller ones, you should consider writing their names and your phone number in Sharpie on their arm in case they were to get lost.

Travel in pairs or in a group.

All Halloween events happen late at night and, with that, you should already know to travel with people you know/trust. Just like your parents kept close tabs on you while trick-or-treating as a kid, do this for your friends as well, especially if you’re at a public place or alcohol is involved.

Don’t get black-out drunk.

Try not to get too drunk if you can help it. I understand that Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, but the real problem doesn’t lie with the hangover you’ll have on Sunday. Rather, the problem lies with being unconscious and unaware of or

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unperceptive of your surroundings. Drinking alcohol excessively immediately puts you in the path of danger, so drink wisely.

Don’t go somewhere alone with a stranger who is wearing a mask/heavy makeup.

This may seem a little weird, and I totally get that. But you don’t need to watch Halloween to understand the risk of people in masks. In fact, most large events will entirely prohibit full-faced masks for this exact reason. If you don’t know what they look like, don’t go with them.

Halloween is said to bring back the dead, but it also brings out predators that are potentially dangerous to us and our children, so take precautions to ensure your safety this year.

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the girl behind the blog

hi and welcome to my blog! i’m mia, the content creator, blogger, knitter and obsessive cat lady. i’m currently a college student studying español + français. i’m an aspiring adult, and an avid harry potter enthusiast. join me every-other week as i bring you my twenty-something year-old musings + various lifestyle advice and tips that i bring to you from the keyboard of my little computer in some coffee shop in a place i call my home.